The process of destroying 337 metric tonnes of toxic waste stored in the warehouse of the Union Carbide factory responsible for the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy has begun. The industrial waste disposal unit in Pithampur near Indore is making necessary preparations in this regard.
On Sunday morning, a team of experts started the work of filling the waste in 12 containers under tight security at the Carbide factory in Bhopal. These containers will be transported to Pithampur before January 3. During this time, entry inside the premises has been banned. A ‘green corridor’ has been prepared to safely transport the waste, so that it can reach Pithampur without any obstruction.
Tight security arrangements have been made for this entire process. More than 100 policemen were deployed around the premises. At the same time, a team of more than 400 officers, employees, experts and doctors are engaged in this work. This waste is being filled in 12 container trucks under the monitoring of experts of Ramki Company.
This waste is lying in the ‘Union Carbide’ factory located in the state capital, where the poisonous gas ‘methyl isocyanate’ leaked on the intervening night of 2 and 3 December 1984.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court, expressing displeasure in this matter, had directed the state government to start the process of destroying the Union Carbide waste within four weeks. In view of this, Swatantra Kumar Singh, Director of the State Gas Relief and Rehabilitation Department, said, “The waste of the Bhopal gas tragedy is a stigma that is going to disappear after 40 years.”
The High Court had given instructions to remove the waste by January 6. On January 3, the government has to submit a report in the High Court. That is, the waste has to be sent to Pithampur by January 2 at any cost. Pithampur Industrial Waste Management (Ramki) Company will execute it.
Swatantra Kumar Singh, Director of the state’s Gas Relief and Rehabilitation Department, said that a 250 km long ‘green corridor’ will be built to send this chemical waste from Bhopal to Pithampur. The waste will be burnt in Ramki Enviro. Every container will have a unique number. The district administration will be informed about the route through which these trucks and containers will pass.
These trucks will go to Indore via Karond Mandi, People’s Mall, Karond Square, Gandhi Nagar, Mubarakpur, Sehore Naka. This route has been chosen because the traffic pressure on this route is less at night.
The process of burning this waste will be started in the waste disposal unit of Pithampur. Initially, some part of the waste will be burnt and its ash will be scientifically examined to ensure that no harmful elements are left. If everything goes well, this process will be completed in three months. Otherwise, it may take up to nine months to burn it at a slow pace.
The smoke from burning waste will be passed through a four-layer special filter, so that there is no air pollution. The entire process will be monitored and its record will be kept. The ash formed from the waste will be buried in a ‘landfill site’ covered with a two-layer strong membrane, so that it does not come in contact with soil and water.
Some local people and environmental activists are claiming that the soil and water sources there were polluted after Union Carbide’s 10 tonnes of waste was destroyed in Pithampur in 2015. However, the Gas Relief and Rehabilitation Department has denied these claims.
Department Director Swatantra Kumar Singh said, “It has been decided to destroy 337 tonnes of waste in Pithampur only after examination of all objections. This unit has all the arrangements to destroy the waste safely and there is nothing to worry about.”
